Sunderland returned to the Premier League this season after eight years away from the top flight, knowing that to survive, they would need more than momentum and feel-good vibes.
New signings were a must for a side that had finished 16th in the second tier 12 months earlier, but in this new cohort, they needed experience, leadership and authority.
And in Granit Xhaka, who joined from Bayer Leverkusen in a £17million deal after spending two years in the Bundesliga following his Arsenal departure, they had someone who ticked all of those boxes.
Xhaka on being handed the Sunderland armband
Black Cats boss Regis Le Bris quickly handed the Swiss the captain’s armband, but only after Xhaka had ensured that taking it from local hero Dan Neil -who had racked up almost 200 first-team appearances by the time he was 23 - did not dent the dressing-room dynamic.
“The club offered me the armband before the start of the season” Xhaka explains to FourFourTwo. “I said yes, just as long as it didn’t create any problems in the dressing room,”
“It looks nice, but you don’t need it. A real leader has the power without the armband.
“However, I’m very proud the club made that decision, and I want to use my experience to be an example for my team-mates and myself. We have a strong leadership group.
“It did make it easier for me coming in when I knew players from before. I knew Dan Ballard from Arsenal and Nordi Mukiele from Leverkusen. When you have experienced players who are close to you, it becomes much easier.
“Even the youngsters, and those who have been at Sunderland longer than myself, they always help you learn about the club.”
Each of the six previous clubs to win promotion back to the Premier League have immediately dropped straight back down to the Championship, despite some hefty investment being made in some cases. Eager to avoid this, Sunderland brought in a host of new recruits, with Xhaka playing a pivotal role in helping the Black Cats clock up 19 points from their first 11 games.
“Nobody in the dressing room speaks about the table,” the midfielder insists. “We have a completely new team, and even with the players who were here last season, we’ve all become close very fast.
“It’s day by day. If you come and see us from Monday to matchday, we demand everything from each other. In the end, you need a little bit of luck, but you need to deserve it.
“I’ve called on the whole building, not just the players, to work towards success together.”
